


Roll for it

by Talinor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, DnD Shenanigans, Like very casual DnD, M/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-22 09:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9599678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talinor/pseuds/Talinor
Summary: Sometimes, the dice is not in your favor.Sometimes, that leads to some... pretty interesting circumstances.





	

**Author's Note:**

> alt title: 'silly drabble that got away from me oops'  
> I wrote most of this today while listening to critical role and based it off my own amateur method of dnd  
> plus you cannot convince me that lance isn't the 'I roll to seduce pretty much anything' player  
> enjoy!

This was it.

After many sessions, hours of questing, building up characters, and bonding as a team, the group was finally at the final boss of Pidge's campaign. Maybe it was just the coffee mixed with a bit of Monster Lance had a couple minutes ago, but he couldn't help but feel jittery.

At first, he'd scoffed at the game. It seemed like something stupid and nerdy. Probably with way too many rules to make it fun. And, Pidge confessed to him once, it could be.

But that was only one way to play the game. There were many different ways, with rules and different leveling systems and all that jazz that didn't really interest him.

But the game boiled down to one simple rule as its foundation- build a character and pray that the dice favored them. 

So, after some pleading from Hunk to give it a try, Lance finally went to the session at Pidge's house kicking off their new campaign. For him, this one didn't really have rules or regulations. All you needed was a basic understanding of what your character's class could do and a basic idea on what your character was like.

At first, he thought it was kinda dumb to pretend to be something he wasn't. He wasn't an adventurer traveling the made-up lands of Altea. He was a bored teenager sitting cross-legged on the dark green carpet of his friend's room waiting for his character to be 'introduced into the story'.

A half hour into the story, though? He actually started... getting into it. 

He had to admit, it was kinda fun to make believe. To be part of a merry band of misfits and see what happened.

The other players and fellow members of said band were some of his classmates back at school. Hunk (of course), former crush-back-in-like-8th-grade and group leader Allura, her redhead cousin Coran (who was actually pretty cool... if not a bit weird), and current kinda-hopefully-not-really crush Keith.

Keith wasn't technically a player. He didn't have a character of his own, but since his brother Shiro was over to visit Pidge's brother Matt so often (and dragged him along), he was at every session. Once in a while, he'd voice some NPCs when Pidge had too many to deal with. But he mostly just watched the others play.

Keith was usually so serious at school. Not a teacher's pet by any means, but still managed to have perfect grades in all of his classes. He usually kept to himself or stayed by Shiro's side. Lance passed him in the halls occasionally, but they never really spoke.

Before these sessions, Lance doubted Keith even knew he existed. But he... did. And over the course of many hours of goofing around with him, hearing him laugh and do ridiculous voices, a small bud of... something started to grow in Lance. It wasn't usually how his crushes felt. And it hadn't gone away yet. No matter how hard he tried to push it down, it just kept popping up again.

At least his character didn't have to deal with anything like that.

His character was Taylor Dunail, a human Ranger fed up with boring safe small town life. Pretty damn good with a bow, based off his rolls, and he knew it. He had a preference for the ladies, but had flirted with a couple cute guys at the tavern while some of the others were off doing a mission. Most just rolled their eyes or laughed a bit. None flirted back. 

Which he didn't really mind, it was just something he found fun.

One time, he asked to seduce the lock to a door keeping the group out of a room with a clue to help them find the campaign's main antagonist- the current Great Dragonmaster that went rogue. He was joking. But Pidge simply shrugged, handed him the blue d20, and told him to roll for it. And he actually did.

He rolled a nat 20.

He was pretty lucky with the dice that way. Sure, there were always bad rolls. But he never rolled too terribly on things that mattered. 

As Allura's half-elf lightning sorcerer, Vex, unlocked the magic locks barring the main chamber doors, he only hoped luck would stay on his side.

 _"If I'm going to be honest here," Hyperion_ -Hunk's gnome paladin- _said nervously, looking at the old castle walls bathed in red light. Paintings of past battles hung on the stone. Usually showing brutal killings at the hands of the past Great Dragonmaster's pets during some war. "I have a bad feeling about all this."_

 _"Careful there, Hypey." Percival_ -Coran's elven bard and Taylor's drinking buddy- _warned with a nervous smile. "That's about as jinx-ey as 'What could possibly go wrong?'."_

_As Vex' hands spark with tiny controlled shocks interacting with the magical locks, the scent of smoky incense fills the tense air. Not quite as thick as an actual fire's smoke, but obviously meant to imitate it. A low muffled growl can be heard from the main chamber. The old stones around the group tremble slightly as the last lock dissipates into thin air, leaving behind a trace hint of an ozone-like taste. It makes the hairs on the backs of everyone's necks stand straight at attention._

_Each member exchanged a look with the others. They all knew the same thing- this was it. For better or worse._

He saw Pidge glance to Keith as they described the atmosphere with a look that made his stomach sink. He learned what that look meant very early on. He knew that look all too well.

It was the look of a mischievous overlord with unlimited power over the puny mortals of the game. The look of a deity with a trick up their sleeve that their players weren't gonna like.

The look of the DM.

Keith gave them the same look, and he felt his stomach sink deeper. Whatever it was, he was definitely in on it somehow. So this probably wasn't gonna be fun for the players.

_With a rumbling that echoed throughout the entire chamber, the old doors opened to reveal the room behind them. The room itself was fairly small, empty save for the intricate stone altar in the middle. On it lay a magic incubator-like device, dark red flames covering the dragon egg that lay inside protectively. Four lit brass brazier pots hung from the high ceiling with thin dark iron chains. They hung in a square around the altar._

"Can I sense if there are any spells or runes in the braziers?" Allura asked. Without a response, Pidge just threw her a d20. She caught it and shook it between her closed cupped hands for a couple seconds. The die tumbled out onto the spare gameboard mainly used for clearer rolls so they didn't get lost in the thick carpeting.

17.

_Vex sensed there's a pretty strong protection spell linked between the braziers, serving as an invisible force field for the incubator. That's pretty much it. No other spells or runes imbued in the castle walls as far as any of the group could tell._

"Wait," Hunk said. "Where's the Great Dragonmaster?"

Pidge gave him that mischievous knowing smile. "Glad you asked."

_As the four adventurers stepped into the room, tense and curious, the old doors suddenly slammed shut behind them. A small yellow glint could be seen from the shadows clinging to the room's corners. The source of it soon stepped into the light._

_The Great Dragonmaster smiled at the group, showing his array of shark-like teeth. For the first time in the entire campaign, the group saw what the man really looked like._

_A hulking Dragonborn, with dark purple scales and pure yellow eyes. He was clad almost entirely in thick dark red draconian armor, with a very distinct and careful styling to how the plates were placed. A deep purple cape hung behind him. It didn't quite touch the floor, but it was very close to doing so. It nearly hid the thick pointed tail behind him. Nearly._

When the Great Dragonmaster spoke, Keith voiced him. It was deep, husky, and made something stir slightly in the pit of Lance's stomach. He quickly pushed it down. Now wasn't the time.

_"So," he said, scanning each individual member up and down with an unimpressed expression. "You are the ones who've been meddling with my work. I have to admit, I was expecting the people looking for me to look a bit more... intimidating." He sighed. "Well," he stepped out in front of the group and opened his arms out. "Here I am. Now what do you intend to do?"_

"I have a knife for close range, right?" Lance asked.

Pidge nodded.

"I'm gonna stab him in the goddamn face," Lance held a hand out to Pidge crosslegged on the bed. "Hand me the blue d20." That was his lucky die. It hadn't let him down so far. Not even when they faced the dragon the Great Dragonmaster sent that killed Taylor's family. So, in character, he probably wouldn't take time to think up a plan.

Pidge nodded and took it out of their special case. "Here," they said as they handed it to him. "Roll twice. Since you're not very good at close range, you're gonna have a disadvantage."

Right. Shit.

Well, as long as his lowest roll was at least a 16, he'd be fine. Only a straight-up 20 would kill the Dragonmaster, but if he was lucky he'd do some damage. Distract him enough for the others to finish him off.

Lance blew a puff of air into his cupped hands for luck. He prayed to the made-up gods of Altea with complicated names he could barely remember that he'd be successful. After a few moments of feeling the die bounce around between his hands, he let it free.

10.

Not a hit, but not too bad either. He could get worse. He picked the die up and started shaking it again.

As long as he didn't get less than 10, he'd be fine. He didn't bother blowing this time, just shut his eyes and let the die tumble out onto the gameboard.

A tense silence filled the air. Lance cracked an eye open to see what he got.

His heart dropped to his stomach at the worst roll he'd ever gotten stared back up at him.

He got a 1.

"Keith," Pidge said, picking up the d20 and handing it to him. "Roll for attack of opportunity."

"Wait," Hunk said as Keith started shaking the die between his hands. "He's actually _playing_ as the Great Dragonmaster?"

"Mhm," Keith hummed.

"So what exactly are you gonna try to do?" Pidge asked, looking to him with a raised brow.

"I'm gonna summon my sword and try to cut his head off," he said casually, like he was talking about what he ate for breakfast instead of attempting murder.

_Crap._

"Can he even do that?" Coran asked. "Just... oneshot one of us like that?"

Pidge nodded. "Only in this case with a nat 20, since Lance failed horribly. But even if he barely hits it's gonna hurt like hell."

The dice rolled out onto the board. Lance's heart was hammering in his chest as he shut his eyes again. He desperately hoped he wouldn't see a double digit number staring back up at him when he opened them again.

He heard Hunk whoop. Allura smacked Lance's back lightly with a laugh and a, "You really _are_ lucky, Lance."

He opened his eyes to see what she meant. They widened immediately, and his heart soared back into its rightful place.

Keith had rolled a 1.

"So what happens?" Lance asked, looking up at Pidge. "Do we both just... miss horribly or something?"

He could see the point where an idea popped into their head. They smiled deviously at him. "...Something like that, yeah."

_Before any of the others could stop him, Taylor slipped his knife out of its sheath and surged toward the Great Dragonmaster with a furious yell. The Dragonmaster caught his wrist easily within an iron grip. The knife clattered to the floor. The sharp edged plates dig into the exposed skin uncomfortably. Not enough to break the skin, but very close to doing so._

_Unfortunately for the Dragonmaster, the extra weight is just enough to make him almost lose his balance. He nearly fell forward on top of the Ranger, but caught himself just in time. Unfortunately, it left him essentially dipping the human. If he moved, they'd both fall. So he moved his other hand to Taylor's back. The plates dug a bit in his leather armor, but not enough to actually puncture it._

"So," Pidge looked to the others. "Do you guys have any ideas? Anything you wanna do?"

A hush fell over the group as they considered what they should do. Hunk was mouthing some words, muttering under his breath. Coran pulled out his phone with a very serious expression on his face. Allura stared at the dice in consideration. Keith was trying not to laugh, and Lance was trying not to look at him. And failing.

What could he say? Keith had a nice smile, even if most of it was hidden behind his hand.

Coran was the one to break the silence.

"Taylor's good at persuasion, right?" He asked. 

Pidge nodded. "He gets an advantage on persuasion rolls." They raised a brow. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm gonna play a tune with my flute to boost his persuasion." He still tapped away at his phone, eyes flickering between the screen and Pidge. "Maybe he could convince the Great Dragonmaster to join us?"

They shrugged. "I'll allow it. Do you have a particular song you wanna perform?"

The others looked to Coran with excitement. The best part about him being a bard- he usually performed his character's songs. And most of them were spur of the moment, completely improvised. And pretty good despite that.

Coran stopped typing. He looked up at Pidge and asked a question Lance never thought he'd hear. "Can I play Careless Whisper on the flute?"

If he had a drink, he'd probably have spat it out in that moment. Keith started to snicker, but quickly hid it by clearing his throat.

"If you can _find_ Careless Whisper played on the flute on YouTube," Pidge said. "Yes."

Coran smirked and pressed play on his phone. The familiar tune played in the light tone of a flute filled the air. The group was stunned for a moment.

And then burst into laughter.

_As Taylor and the Dragonmaster stare at each other with widened eyes, a tune fills the tense silence. A high-pitched and airy tune, yet one that had a sad edge to it somehow. As the music poured into Taylor, he couldn't help but feel a strange melancholy. A realization hit him- he's never gonna dance again. The way he could with the one cradling him in his arms._

"Wow," Hunk said. "You just _had_ to quote the song, didn't you?"

"Couldn't help myself." Pidge looked over to Lance. "You now have a +3 boost to persuasion. What do you wanna do?"

What _did_ he wanna do?

An idea hit him. A crazy, stupid idea. But one that might just work.

He sighed, reaching for the blue d20. "What the hell." He started to shake the dice in his hands. "Roll to seduce the Great Dragonmaster into changing his ways."

Part of him hoped to miss. He let the die clatter onto the gameboard.

_Oh my god._

20.

The group was silent for a moment, 6 pairs of eyes fixated on the same thing. Pidge cleared their throat. Lance looked up to see them gesturing towards Keith.

"Well?" They said. "Go ahead. Speak in character to the Great Dragonmaster." The room suddenly grew a few degrees hotter. He could see the hints of a smile they weren't trying to show.

_That goddamn gremlin._

He looked over to Keith.

_"Well," Taylor purred, quickly replacing his surprise with charm. "Is it hot in here, or is it just you?"_

The faintest shade of pink brushed Keith's cheeks. It was a nice color on him.

 _"I..." The Great Dragonmaster was at a loss for words at the sudden change._ (As did his player. It was obvious this wasn't what he'd planned with Pidge.) _"...Beg your pardon, human?"_

_"You don't have to beg me for anything, handsome." Taylor chuckled. "Though I certainly wouldn't complain if you did."_

_"How can you call me handsome? I'm... I'm a dragon-man. You're not deterred by that?"_

_"What can I say?" Taylor shrugged. "I'm into that."_

_"But... I..." The Great Dragonmaster cleared his throat. "Why... are you saying these things?"_

_"Cause I see potential in you." Taylor said. "I think you'd be a great guy to get to know, Dragonmaster."_

_"I've killed people. Innocent people. That... does not bother you?"_

_"Who hasn't occasionally?" Taylor shrugged it off. "Truth is, I don't think you are who you say you are."_ Keith and Pidge exchanged slightly surprised looks at each other. Apparently Lance predicted something there. _"Underneath your spiky and scaly exterior," Taylor put his free hand on the Great Dragonmaster's smooth chestplate,_ as Lance put his own hand on Keith's shoulder. _"I see a man who just wants to be loved. And trust me, I got an eye for this kinda stuff, Dragonmaster."_

_The Dragonborn was silent for a moment, contemplating those words. Then he sighed. "I... am not the Great Dragonmaster. Not yet, anyways."_

_"What do you mean, 'not yet'?" Vex spoke up. "Who are you?"_

_"His apprentice," He said. "The Great Dragonmaster said something about his plan not being ready yet, so he wanted me to pretend to be him while he prepares for you." He looked back down at Taylor. "I... apologize for lying to you, human."_

_"Don't worry about it," he assured. "The name's Taylor, by the way. May I know yours?"_

_"Tiber." Tiber hesitated. "Do you... still mean what you said? Would you still... tolerate my company on your journey?"_

_"Oh, I'd do more than simply 'tolerate' it."_

_"Very well... Taylor. I am--"_ Insistent beeping from Pidge's phone at the foot of the bed interrupted whatever he was gonna say. Was it 9:50 already? He could've sworn it was 8:00 like 10 minutes ago.

"And that's the end of the session, guys." Pidge said, lying sideways on the bed to reach their phone. "Next time, we'll _really_ wrap it up."

"I'll hold you to that," Allura said, packing the few things she had into her bag.

Coran looked to Hunk and Lance. "You guys need a ride?"

Hunk shook his head. "Mom got off work early tonight, so I'm good."

"I got my bike," Lance said, standing up. "My house isn't that far away from here, so I can handle it."

Keith folded up the gameboard and placed it on its usual shelf. "Brought my bike too," he said. He looked at Lance with a competitive smile. "Race ya' to the old-timey lamppost at the end of the street?"

Pidge raised a brow. "I thought Shiro was driving you back?"

"Takashi's staying over tonight. Something about an astrophysics test Matt and him need to study for." He said with a shrug. Then he looked back to Lance. "So the offer's still up, if you wanna do it."

Lance cracked a smile. "Hope you like the taste of my dust, Kogane."

"Right," Keith headed for the door. "Put your money where your mouth is, Rosales."

He ended up losing. Mainly cause when Keith said 'bike' he apparently meant he brought over a _frickin' sleek red motorcycle._ Lance's 10-year-old hand-me- down baby blue bike didn't stand a chance against it.

Keith took off his helmet, getting off his bike as Lance pedaled his way to the finish line. They stood at a fork in the road- to the left was Keith's neighborhood. To the right was Lance's.

"So, uh..." Keith started. He looked... a little nervous. "That was... pretty fun."

"Yeah," Lance stopped his own bike besides Keith. He didn't really know how to feel about Keith's sudden awkwardness. He'd been expecting bragging, or at least teasing about his own cocky comments. But this... This was unexpected.

Seeing Keith actually wait for him under the low lighting of the lamppost was unexpected. Seeing him bite his bottom lip in nervous consideration was unexpected.

And then the most unexpected of all happened.

It was all a blur. It happened so fast it took his brain a second to actually process what had happened. All he was left with was the memory of chapped lips hastily pressed against his cheek, the rushed whisper of _'see you at school'_ so soft he wouldn't have heard if if it hadn't been so close to his ear, and the sight of Keith's taillights quickly being swallowed by the night's darkness as it rode down the street.

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr: squishy--squish  
> comments are always appreciated!


End file.
